The media wolves asked Jets defenceman Zach Bogosian five or six questions about Thursday's dismal 4-0 loss to Pittsburgh in the Jets dressing room following the game.

And nearly every time, at the end of each of his answers about his team's pitiful performance against the Pens, he made sure to mention that the Jets had a big game on Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Yes, it was quite evident, even 10 minutes after the loss at Consol Energy Center, that the Jets were already looking forward to Saturday afternoon at MTS Centre. You could even argue they were doing so before the game ended, because at times it looked like Winnipeg's minds were elsewhere.

And you can't blame them, really. The Jets didn't really have to worry about beating the Penguins, who aren't in their division. Heck, the Jets aren't even in the same stratosphere as Sidney Crosby and Co. these days. Sure, the two points would have been nice if they could get them, but who was anyone kidding?

Saturday afternoon, however, will be a much different story. That's when the Jets need to show that they are first-place residents of the South-least Division for a reason. Otherwise, it'll just be more of the maddening inconsistency from Claude Noel's crew.

"You're going to go through bumps in the road, but overall, we're not on top of our division by mistake," Bogosian said with a bit of bite in his voice. "We've played some good hockey. But we have to show up in the big games like this, and obviously Saturday's a big one."

Tuesday night's game in Raleigh, N.C., where the Jets thumped the Hurricanes 4-1, was a big game. It had much more importance than Thursday's, so the fact they emerged victorious against Carolina makes their two-game road trip a success.

The fact they fell to the Penguins makes them just one of a growing crowd of victims that has now reached 14 and is showing no signs of dispersing anytime soon.

The pressure would have been greater on the Jets on Saturday afternoon if Carolina hadn't choked its way to its seventh straight loss on Thursday night in Toronto. The Hurricanes have three games in hand on the Jets, but it doesn't like they'll be able to use them to their advantage the way they're playing these days without their top two netminders. Cam Ward and Dan Ellis are both out with injuries.

"The good thing about Saturday is we got a chance to play a team that we're trying to stay ahead of and beat out for the division," captain Andrew Ladd said. "It's a good opportunity for our group. We've got a quick turnaround here. Forget about this one and move on."

The last time the Jets/Thrashers franchise was this ensconced in a playoff spot was in January 2011, when it was eight points up -- coincidentally enough -- on the ninth-place Carolina Hurricanes. The only problem was it was early January. The Thrashers proceeded to tank down the stretch and miss the playoffs for the 10th time in 11 seasons.

So here it is. The drive for the franchise's second playoff berth begins Saturday afternoon. Forget about Pittsburgh. Forget about all the inconsistency. If they really mean it, they need to do it. Today.

Dustin Byfuglien needs to get it together and take control of a game, because he has been awful lately The forwards, meanwhile, need to start scoring, and that begins with getting down and dirty in the corners and cycling the puck. Want it.

Ondrej Pavelec usually struggles against the Hurricanes, but he was spectacular on Tuesday night against them. His teammates need to give their MVP some support.

A total team effort will have the Jets sitting prettier than they have since 2007, when they qualified for the post-season for the only time in franchise history. If that doesn't motivate them to produce their best effort of the season, nothing will.

"We've all seen how well we can play," head coach Claude Noel said Thursday night in Pittsburgh, almost resigned to his team's inconsistency. "But the one thing with us is that we play well when the whole group is very engaged in the game. That's very evident to all of us."

And if they don't deliver a complete effort on Saturday, then GM Kevin Cheveldayoff won't have to feel too bad getting rid of a few parts before Wednesday's trade deadline.

As Advertised in the Winnipeg SUN

Bogosian, Jets have moved on to Saturday

Not dwelling on dismal 4-0 loss to Pittsburgh Penguins

The media wolves asked Jets defenceman Zach Bogosian five or six questions about Thursday's dismal 4-0 loss to Pittsburgh in the Jets dressing room following the game.

And nearly every time, at the end of each of his answers about his team's pitiful performance against the Pens, he made sure to mention that the Jets had a big game on Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Yes, it was quite evident, even 10 minutes after the loss at Consol Energy Center, that the Jets were already looking forward to Saturday afternoon at MTS Centre. You could even argue they were doing so before the game ended, because at times it looked like Winnipeg's minds were elsewhere.